Rinkai Hotel Kitamise

Stayed at this hotel/hostel for 3 nights. I was meeting up with 2 friends who are backpacking through Asia so they were on a tight budget and picked this place. I booked my own room as the hotel said no more than 2 per room (you can fit more than 2 per room if you book a 2 person room FYI, even the one person room I booked had 2 beds in it...but I liked having my own room anyway so it worked out). The hotel was clean, conveniently located near a train station (only about a $12 train ride from the airport FYI) although it is not within walking distance to any tourist destinations, but it is in a safe area. The cost was extremely affordable ($50/night on average) and it included both breakfast and dinner which were excellent. Food in Japan is expensive so we saved at least $25/day on food staying here. The hotel staff was very friendly. They spoke limited English so don't count on them for getting travel information. The rooms were clean and the beds were comfortable. The only "negatives" were that they let people smoke near the reception desk and the smoke would float down the hall on occasion. Also, one room had a light smell of the bathroom (like a valve needed to be fixed), but not overwhelming and the place was extremely clean so it wasn't a cleanliness issue. The tap water had a strong chlorine smell so it wasn't appetizing to drink so we just bought a bottle of water on our walk back from the train each night, which is easy enough. Bottom line, if you need a clean, convenient, affordable place to sleep while you spend your days (and nights) romping around Osaka and price is a major factor for you, this is a great option. Btw, could only seem to book a room at this place on booking.com so check there for rates.